The star talks about her early beginnings, film, stand-up, and aspirations to create powerful art that delivers more Asian representation.

A multi-faceted career has always been in the stars for Sherry Cola. Born in Shanghai China, she moved to the United States with her family when she was four years old. Utilizing comedy as a platform and a way of expression has always been a true line in her life; in high school, her time consisted of making funny videos and participating in extracurriculars, such as hosting the talent show.

The early beginnings of her career began in the radio world, where Sherry learned how to broadcast her personality. In that time, she also started doing stand-up comedy. Naturally, all of this experience led to her pursuit in acting.

Speaking of her childhood, she shared details of what little Sherry was like as a kid: “I definitely said the darndest things. We were immigrants. I came to this country when I was four years old. I remember everything was so foreign. I remember one of my neighbors, this kid who was obviously older than me — he flipped me off. He threw up his middle finger at me. I was like, “What is that??” I had no idea what it was. It was like a fist with a finger sticking up. I didn’t even know how to define it. So, of course naturally, I went with my mom to work at a restaurant she was working at. And I gave the middle finger to one of her coworkers. I must have been like six at that time.

My mom just dragged me to this walk-in refrigerator at the back of this restaurant and spanked me. And that’s when I really found out that it was offensive.

There were a lot of those kinds of moments growing up. I’ve always been a curious kid, which must have led to what I’m doing now. Curious about what’s possible. Curious to learn more and do more. I was always entertaining my mom’s friends. I would do this weird trick with my mouth — you know, where you would pretend to thread a needle with your upper lip and you pull it? Little fun things like that. And they’d always have me do it. But yeah, I just did and said the darndest things..”

Discussing her initial start in the entertainment industry, Sherry cites that, “it was just the perfect combination of being in the right place at the right time.” She expressed her gratitude for the people in her life who really believed in what she did. One of her friends from college reached out to her and gave her props for finally following her dreams. With further conversation, she learned that he was a talent manager at the time. They decided to work together and give it a shot to make some stuff happen. And everything just seemed to align from there.

She enrolled in some classes at UCB to help sharpen her chops and soon enough, her friend texted with details about her big break. Sherry landed her first major role in 2017 with the Amazon series “I Love Dick,” cast opposite Kevin Bacon and Kathryn Hahn. Her character, Natalie, was a free spirit and one of Dick’s (Bacon) students at the art institute in Marfa, Texas. She talked about her experience on the series:

“That was my first time being on a real live TV set. It just felt like home. It really did. And cut to me being featured in more episodes. Cut to shooting the rest of the season with the cast and crew. It naturally seamlessly just happened and I’m so grateful for that process. And really grateful to my manager Colin.”

Sherry explained that there wasn’t a lot of Asian representation when she was growing up, but she found Margaret Cho a huge inspiration: “She really shined the light on this dream. Like, ‘okay, maybe this isn’t impossible.’ Margaret Cho was a huge inspiration and still is a huge inspiration to me. Back when she was doing stand-up, just saying things that society didn’t expect an Asian woman to say. The things that came out of her mouth were outspoken. They were bold. And they broke stereotypes. I think that was so impactful. That’s how I truly want to live my life. I want to walk into a room and prove people wrong. And that is literally what Margaret Cho inspired me to do.”

She cited “Romeo Must Die” as one of her favorite movies of all time. The film stars Jet Li and Aaliyah, and it was so ahead of its time — “We would have movies like that just every so often. That’s what made it so special because it was rare to have a movie that was that representative. Yeah, ‘Romeo Must Die’ and Margaret Cho forever..”

In her free time, Sherry enjoys surrounding herself with her loved ones. Since the pandemic started, she’s spent quality time with her roommates, watching movies, drinking, playing Uno, and exploring many avenues — at one point, even taking on a rollerblading phase. She loves. music (“I love Drake. Drake, hit me up!” *laughs*) and says there’s nothing that compares to taking a long drive, listening to music, and pretending you’re in a music video. That’s definitely avibe. She loves food, music, and sleep (even though she refuses to sleep like she should!)

In regard to artists she would love to collaborate with someday, Sherry lists several influences she admires and aspires to work with in the future:

“Hmm… There’s so many. Will Smith. Will Smith is someone I’m such a big fan of. Through and through. I would love for him to play my dad. *laughs*We’ll make it happen. Same with Sarah Jessica Parker. Sarah Jessica Parker and Will Smith will play my parents. Somehow. *laughs*

But there are so many iconic Asian actors and actresses that I have just been dying to work with. Jackie Chan, Sandra Oh, Michelle Yeoh, Lucy Liu, John Cho — I mean these are the OGs. Steven Yeun. Randall Park. There’s so many people who led the way for us. I just can’t wait to work with them ‘cause I know I will. Sandra Oh and I are in an animated movie coming up with Paramount. It’s called, ‘The Tiger’s Apprentice.’ The list goes on. There’s comedians, like Jerry Seinfeld and Ellen [DeGeneres]. These are people who have really fueled me in the stand-up world. I’ve worked with Kevin Hart a couple times already too. There’s just so much brilliance out there that I’ve watched while growing up and I really hope to share the screen with someday.”

“Stay true to yourself” is the best piece of advice that she lives by:

“Because I grew up not being the pretty girl, or the cool girl, per se. I’ve always had this weirdness to me. I would say something and people would be like, ‘what the heck???’ But the weirdness is really what makes me shine today. I’m so happy I continued to embrace who I was and not shy away from it and not conform to anyone else. So I think staying true to yourself really goes a long way. I truly built a career on doing just that. Just stay true to yourself and trust it. Trust yourself. Trust that who you are is enough.”

Through all of her experience, Sherry has learned that she has a tendency to overwork herself and often takes things too seriously. She places too much pressure on herself, holding such high standards and taking on the harsh role as her biggest critic. However, she’s learned that it’s okay to take a breather. It’s okay to go on vacation with your mom. Her perspective: If you happen to miss out on some things, then it simply wasn’t meant to be. She’s slowly learned this through the current circumstances surrounding the pandemic. So much has been taken for granted, like quality time spent with family. This is a fast-paced career, but Sherry has recognized that she can (and should!) take the time to appreciate the little things in life. She hasn’t been back to Shanghai, her birthplace, in over ten years. She can afford to take the time to take a break and just chill for a moment, leave LA, and go on vacation for two weeks to visit her family.

What is Sherry’s biggest dream? — She wants to be in TV and movies for the rest of her life. At the same time, she desires a stand-up special. She really wants that one-hour stand-up special that will blow people out of the water. And no surprise, she’s already hard at work in pursuit of these dreams. She’s been crafting that perfect hour; whether it’s Netflix or HBO, whoever will take her, she longs to be multi-faceted. Sherry stated she has several projects up her sleeve. Her top priority is creating content for her people; she desires to tell these stories, keep representing, and make sure that her community feels seen.

Sherry talked about several of the projects she’s worked on. She shared that the difference between filming a series and shooting a movie is that, with a film, you are this character and then it’s eventually over. With a show, you have the opportunity to learn more about the character. She gushed about actress Shailene Woodley and her experience filming “Endings, Beginnings,” a romantic drama directed by Drake Doremus that recently released last year digitally:

“That was such a cool experience because Drake Doremus is honestly brilliant and his work is so raw. Honest — to work with a director like that, it was my first time doing improv, not in a dramatic sense, but kind of since it obviously was a dramatic movie. It was a drama. The script was there. The beats were there. What’s going on in the story, that’s there. But what’s going on with the lines, we just kind of naturally found organically - he just wanted us to find these honest moments. Talk about relationships as ourselves, through these characters, which was a beautiful thing. Shailene Woodley is a dream. Truly a dream. That’s the thing —you work with these people who you’ve been watching — I remember watching Secret Life of the American Teenager. I remember watching Divergent and Big Little Lies. She’s just so good at what she does. And here she is in front of me and she’s a sweetheart. It’s such a beautiful movie. I want to do more movies like that for sure.”

In 2019, production in Tulsa, Oklahoma wrapped on indie film “Sick Girl,” starring Nina Dobrev and Wendi McLendon-Covey. At the time of production, Sherry recalls that actor Steven Yeun was filming “Minari” at the exact same time: “I remember thinking, “Oh my goodness, Steven Yeun is in the same city as me right now. *laughs*

“Sick Girl” is about a group of four girlfriends, and their friendship is tested when one of them drops an emotional bomb. There was off-the-bat chemistry between Sherry and her castmates Haley, Stephanie, and Nina. “I hope ‘Sick Girl’ will finally see the light of day this year. And I love the fact that I’ve been a part of so many female-driven projects. Girl power is really a theme all the way! I feel so lucky to have been surrounded by that energy.”

Sherry portrays Alice Kwan on the Freeform series “Good Trouble.” The show is a spin-off of “The Fosters” and continues to follow the adventures of Callie and Mariana as they venture out to Los Angeles. Alice is a first-generation Asian-American lesbian and aspiring stand-up comic. She is the manager of The Coterie apartment complex, which is the communal living situation the protagonists find themselves residing in. This show has really broken down barriers as it’s showcasing a narrative that’s never been explored on screen before.

As soon as she read the breakdown description about the audition, she knew she had to pursue this role: “Talk about feeling seen, right? I was so touched that the creators, who are not Asian, wanted to see this on the screen. Shoutout to Jolene, Peter, and Bradley who changed my life. They wanted to see a character like this on the screen and that already meant so much.

“When you book a role like this, it just means the world because this kind of character didn’t exist when I was growing up. You just realize that there is a responsibility in the best way possible with portraying this character. I can be a role model in a way with younger girls, who will be able to see this character and feel represented and not alone.”

Alice comes out to her family at the end of season one in such a beautiful scene. Listen, you don’t see Asian queer females coming out on TV. Ever. Maybe three times. I don’t know. I really don’t know. I couldn’t count with my whole hand. It means so much that I’m able to tell this story and be a beacon of hope and a light at the end of the tunnel for Asian queer girls out there who don’t feel seen or supported. It really means a lot to play this character and to continue to grow with this character. Truly I am so grateful to be proud of the show that I’m on, and to be a fan of the show that I’m on.

“Good Trouble” changed Sherry’s life. She isn’t the same person she was before “Good Trouble,” just like she’s not the same person she was a year ago. There’s so much going on in the world — the good, the bad, the ugly — and “Good Trouble” has been a reflection of these real-life issues since day one. “Good Trouble” has been ahead of the game in terms of difficult conversation and calling things out. Sherry thinks the world is finally catching up to that. The show has really inspired her to show up in every possible way for other communities and be an ally. “Good Trouble” has taught her to show up and not only “walk the walk,” but also “talk the talk.” She says that “Good Trouble” has really inspired everyone on the cast to steadily fight for change, both on and off the screen; it’s made them better people because they’re constantly learning and having these tough conversations.

When prompted to describe “Good Trouble” and Alice to someone who has never been exposed to the show before, Sherry states:

“If you want to see yourself on the screen, in the sexiest, messiest way possible.. *laughs* It’s a group of real people, just making mistakes and you still root for them. That’s what’s so beautiful about our show. We’re not preaching these issues like yelling at your face; we’re showing human beings navigating the ups and downs of life. And we do it in such a beautiful way. It’s so balanced, with the comedic moments, the emotional moments, the hard-to-watch moments. Once again, we’re having these tough conversations at the same time. It’s the perfect show.

And with Alice, just navigating the ups and downs of being queer, Asian, female, and an immigrant; there’s so many layers to Alice. She’s a human being trying to survive in her 20s. Every character is fighting for change. Every character is representing a version of the audience. ‘Good Trouble’ shows all the highs and the lows. It keeps it real.” Sherry shares her love for acting and how she relates to every character she’s portrayed because every character is a version of herself: “We’re not actually pretending to be someone else. We’re pulling from our own experiences to be this version of ourselves for this character.

That’s why acting is so limitless. I’m obsessed with acting. There’s so much you can do and so many layers you can shed through the screen when you’re embracing a character. You learn more about yourself. Acting has definitely taught me about what I’m capable of and how your dreams are unlimited. You can be anyone you want to be. There’s something so cool about being an actor - you can be any version of yourself.”

Her comedy work took off when one of her most notable characters, Lil’ Tasty, went viral online. Her friends, Adam and Rick, were creating this web series called “Luber,” a documentary-style, unscripted show about the rejects of Lift and Uber. They encouraged Sherry to create a character. This lead to the birth of Lil’ Tasty — the Lakers loving, jersey-wearing, Timberland-rocking rapper. She became an instant hit online, receiving over 20 million views on Facebook (and growing). Sherry talked about Lil’ Tasty, Kobe Bryant, and the process of coming up with her character: “I knew she had to rap. I’ve always been a hip-hop fan. Rhyming and free-styling has always been a hobby of mine. And I just happened to have a Kobe Bryant jersey in my closet.

Everything just came together and we shot these videos off the top of the head. It was just me riffing the entire time. Nothing was planned. Cut to that Seven-Eleven video that went viral. The demographics included: 1) the Asian community, 2) the Laker community, and 3) the hip-hop community. So it was a lot of people who were just watching this character like, ‘Who is this creature? Is she real? She says the darndest things, yet she’s so sweet and optimistic. What’s going on??’ It was like this weird animal sighting. *laughs* It was really fun and just on a whim. She still exists. And it’s no coincidence that Kobe Bryant was like Lil’ Tasty’s god — Kobe Bryant was such a big part of my upbringing. I get so emotional thinking about it. Kobe Bryant forever. I will honor Kobe Bryant for the rest of my life. I want Lil’ Tasty to keep doing her thing. It was such a fun time doing Lil’ Tasty. She’s still around. To be continued.”

This all happened at the same time she began stand-up and finally went up on the stage. She immediately fell in love with it, and was floating around on a cloud nine of pure euphoria. A highlight of her career was the opportunity she recently had to open up for comedian Ronny Chieng. A dream come true. She’s constantly working on new material and has strong aspirations to continue performing and eventually headline one day.

So what’s next for Sherry?

She’s been working on more voiceover work, something she feels very strongly about due to her background in radio; “I’ve always been very vocal. I love the fact that a voice is so versatile — it can be voiceover, it can be for hosting, or stand-up.” She will be featured as one of the protagonists in the Paramount animated film “The Tiger’s Apprentice,” alongside Sandra Oh and Michelle Yeoh. Sherry is also focusing on more behind the scenes work and taking on the responsibilities as a writer. There are several projects in the works that she’s extremely passionate about and she has one major goal in mind: bringing in more Asian representation to the forefront.

“I want to create projects for my people and not even be in them — just cast Asian folks and make sure my community is represented more than it is right now because there is so much work to do. I’m working on a workplace comedy that’s based on my chapter in the radio world. It’s very outrageous and fun, and I want to bring it to life. So hopefully that will see the light of day soon.

Another project I’m working on with fellow Asian actresses, Ally Maki and Jera Wang, follows three female Asian leads in a way that we’ve literally ever seen. I grew up watching shows like‘Sex and the City,’ ‘Friends,’ ‘Living Single,’ and ‘Girlfriends.’ I never saw a show like this where it’s just three Asian girls living their lives. And that kind of narrative has been missing for so long. Just a relatable, everyday, slice-of-life through an Asian lens. We wrote the pilot. We have the pitch. We’re just hoping to sell it. I’m just putting that into the universe to manifest. *laughs*

Again, this is something that I’m not even necessarily in. I want to be the creator. I want to be the executive producer. I want to be the writer of it all. It’s literally just for my people. Period. So there’s a lot of those kinda things I’m working on. A lot of writing. I think the pandemic has forced me to finish projects that I had started, which is really cool. Stay tuned…”

As our conversation concluded, Sherry shared advice she had for other aspiring artists:

“Stay true to yourself. I think that’s very crucial in this industry. There’s going to be things happening left and right that will influence you in some way, shape, or form. And also be nice. I think that’s number one too. Just walking into a room with positive energy goes a long way. The impact that you will make on someone’s day, if you just put on a smile and remember someone’s name. That just means so much. I always say that as actors when we walk on a set, we’re absolutely the luckiest of people there, in terms of jobs. I mean, all these people on the crew who woke up at 4 am. They’re doing the heavy lifting and are attending to our needs. We are so lucky to be doing this — to be the ones on TV — and we’re getting all the freaking credit! Let’s give back and be grateful for the crew. I think being nice and just showing appreciation for those working off screen is really important. So being yourself really ties in to being nice and just remember that we’re so lucky to be doing what we’re doing. What’s the point in bringing the energy down? Let’s bring it up. Let’s go. That’s what I’ve always been about. You have to walk in a room and literally be the sun. *laughs* It goes a long way. I’ve always been an optimistic cup half-full person. Keep that energy.”

Keep up with Sherry and her journey by following her on her socials!

https://instagram.com/shrrycola

And also check out the Freeform series “Good Trouble,” now streaming on Hulu!

Meet the Author

Bri Rodriguez is a writer and photographer from Tallahassee, Florida. Always passionate about the arts - she’s been an avid reader and writer ever since she was a young girl - finding solace in books, exploring literary worlds, and the ability to express herself and tell stories through the written word. Her education in Commercial Photography Technology opened new doors for her artistry; she is currently in pursuit of her bachelors in English to further her studies in literature and creative writing and hone her craft. She aspires to forge her own path as a content creator and delve deeper into the entertainment industry. Bri contributes her writing to multiple publications and actively seeks out new opportunities, which led to her joining the Rival team.
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Sherry Cola: From Early Radio Beginnings to a Multi-Faceted Career in Entertainment

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